The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This article comes from the London Argus of 26th February 1898. It is interesting to see that it was being marketed mainly as a means of recording and playing back. The references to playing music as a means of entertainment are almost an afterthought. How things changed !

Not to mention, when is the last time you saw the word "amanuensis" in a newspaper? (Or anywhere else, for that matter?)

I suppose this was written to herald the introduction of the Edison Standard? The Home had been on the market for at least a year by then, and the Spring Motor earlier; but the reference to price, as well as the comparatively compact size, points to the Standard.

- Bill

So in 1898, what was the value of 5.25 GBP in USD?

I found a reference from historical currency exchange rates that stated that the average conversion rate for £0.75 in the 1890s converted to $3.67 US dollars. (Odd that the reference was for three-quarters of a pound, but there it is.) So, if 5.25 BPS in 1895 is seven times .75, then $US 3.67 x 7 = $25.69 in the 1890's. As interesting, 5.25BPS in 1895 calculates in 2021 terms to $762.86.

In September 1898, Frederick Marion Prescott reported that the Edison Standard phonograph sold in England for 6 guineas, 10 shilling, or $33.75.